this post was submitted on 13 Feb 2026
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284
Trump promised RFK Jr. would ‘restore faith in American health care.’ A year in, trust has plummeted | CNN (www.cnn.com)
submitted 1 day ago by vegeta@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world
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[–] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 48 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

James Van Der Beek just died of cancer and his family just had to hold a fundraiser because cancer treatments apparently wiped out their family finances.

That's a guy who's net worth was in the millions. A guy with millions went nearly bankrupt in the American Don't Give A Care system. Meanwhile, here I am paying 10K a year for my family only to pay another 10K in deductibles a year to hopefully die quickly if something goes wrong.

Gee wonder why I have no faith in American healthcare.

Oh and get scoped regularly, don't just crap in a box, since colon cancer is the only cancer that's on the rise and hitting younger people.

[–] Triumph@fedia.io 14 points 1 day ago

I think they're recommending regular colonoscopy at age 45 now. That's like once every five years unless they find something they want to keep track of.

But yeah, if you want to start earlier than that, do. The diet and prep the couple days before is far worse than the procedure.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's not as rare as people keep acting...

He was on a hit TV show 20 years ago, but it was his breakout so he probably got no residuals

He wasn't broke, he was a landlord that made like 12k/month off rent. But if his net worth was in the millions it was probably just like two LA houses that most likely still had mortgages. If you're going off websites it's probably reported wrong.

Like it's applicable to everyone because insurance shouldn't be tied to employment now that wages aren't capped due to WW2 anymore, but it's not like he was the 1% either. You gotta be well over 10 million for that.

Which should make us realize how bad wealth inequality has gotten. To the actual oligarchs Dawson and the rest of us are the same.

[–] Hadriscus@jlai.lu 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Good reminder of the geometry of class struggle

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yep

Even if you make it big young, if you don't keep working you'll never afford 40 years of health insurance.

He made at least one good investment and didn't blow his money. But that wasn't enough to cover a major medical condition.

The rest of us don't stand a chance, and I fully expect to be what actually gets us socialized medicine is going to be people just throwing the towel in on major medical treatment.

If a 40 year old gets cancer, we're going to see more and more people just start refusing the treatment.

Once that starts becoming normal (it's already happening) people are going to stop paying insurance because they know they'll never really use it.

That would crash the healthcare industry, and would make them "settle" for a socialized system they could still make profits.

As long as they're making money, they're happy. Which is why long term Obamacare just forcing people to pay for healthcare is probably a negative.

If it wasn't for that, lots more people would have opted out of healthcare.

[–] Triasha@lemmy.world 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

They don't need us poors to make a profit. Half of all consumption spending in the US comes from the top 10% we are on track for that to narrow to the top 5% in my lifetime.

If people stop getting health insurance, they can just die. That's the more plausible future.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Half of all consumption spending in the US comes from the top 10% we are on track for that to narrow to the top 5% in my lifetime.

Ok...

But regardless of if that's true, how does that effect the profits of the American healthcare industry besides gift shop sales?

Because I just don't understand why you think it's relevant or why American Healthcare corporations would care more about that than how much profit they're making...

[–] Triasha@lemmy.world 0 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Because us poors with 10k deductibles were not getting cancer treatment anyway. They won't notice people skipping insurance that couldn't afford to use their insurance in the first place. The insurance companies will notice, but they have no leverage. It's a zero sum game between insurance companies and members.

They will focus on the top 10% because that's where all the disposable income is. They will be happy they don't have to fight with insurance companies anymore.

The only leak is emergency care that they can't refuse to treat people.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 1 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

They won’t notice people skipping insurance that couldn’t afford to use their insurance in the first place.

Their sweet spot is people paying for it and never using it.

All Obamacare really did, is kick the van down the road by penalizing people for making the choice not to have insurance

That was a bandaid and as it gets worse people will decide the penalty is still better. If the penalty goes away, a shit ton of people's math would change at once and it would crash the entire industry.

If it still doesn't make sense, I don't think I can explain it any simpler.

[–] Triasha@lemmy.world 0 points 20 hours ago

The penalty has already gone away. Trump suspended it in his first term and Biden did not restore it. The law is still there but it's not enforced.

Lots of Americans should self insure. Spending 1200 dollars a month only to have to spend 5000 dollars before copays and then getting a 50% discount is a stupid amount of money for a trivial benefit. You might as well put that 1200 dollars into a savings account and then at least you have 3-30k depending on how long you go before needing care.

[–] doug@lemmy.today 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I’m below 45 but I’m gonna try and talk my doctor into letting me get a test early for no reason other than my being paranoid. I’ve had a few hemorrhoids and my bowels smell odder than usual despite following the same diet, so I just wanna see what my options are.

[–] meco03211@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Low iron worked for me. Mine might have been due to frequent blood donations if you can do those. Try to manage having labs drawn for the doctor shortly after donating (double red blood cells is best). This of course depends on your ability to donate and line up the two appointments appropriately as well as having a hemoglobin that can be dropped low enough to warrant further investigation. It might be a very niche suggestion, but it could work for someone else.

[–] cynar@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

A relative of mine had a condition where he couldn't get rid of excess iron. The treatment? Blood letting. Once his levels were back down to normal, donation every 3 months.

[–] Triasha@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Prior to 2025 I could assume the CDC was staffed with well meaning technocrats. They could get something wrong, but they would almost always be correct, far more often than me.

Now I have to figure out if they are pushing a crackpot political agenda or giving legitimate guidelines.

Usually it will be the latter, but it's a cognitive load and that corrodes trust.

[–] qjkxbmwvz@startrek.website 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

In 2020 they recommended against face masks for non-healthcare workers. My understanding is that they did this to conserve masks for healthcare workers, as did the WHO. IMHO that was a really shitty thing for them to have done. Presenting all the facts and pleading with the public would, I think, have resulted in higher trust in them as an institution, ultimately saving lives, but that's just my opinion I guess.

But yeah, completely agree that even then it was more or less well meaning, as opposed to now.

[–] GreyEyedGhost@piefed.ca 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

They made the decision that would save the most lives, which is their job. As for the people doing what's best for society, that's antithetical to American individualism, and your faith was proven wrong with both masks and toilet paper being bought for resale at predatory prices, or just to maintain personal supplies at the expense of everyone else.

[–] qjkxbmwvz@startrek.website 2 points 22 hours ago

They made the decision that would save the most lives, which is their job.

But they lied to the public, which undermines trust; IMHO this was a myopic decision.

As for the people doing what's best for society, that's antithetical to American individualism

Can't speak for everyone, but Flex Alerts in California do indeed work (it's when we're asked to reduce energy consumption).

your faith was proven wrong with both masks and toilet paper being bought for resale at predatory prices, or just to maintain personal supplies at the expense of everyone else.

That's a fallacy/faulty generalization

I'm not saying everyone behaves well, but from my experience, the vast majority do. The pandemic for me was a time where I really felt like we looked out for our fellow people, at least locally.

[–] hume_lemmy@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 day ago

"Trump promised" <--- Found the problem

[–] likeaforest@lemmy.world 25 points 1 day ago

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 5 points 22 hours ago

So, the same thing that happens every time America gives Republicans control.

[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 3 points 20 hours ago

I have faith, that the Regime's approach to healthcare will have fatal consequences. My hope is that the MAGA population approaches zero within a few decades.

[–] vegeta@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I, for one, would implicity trust my health to someone who snorts coke off of public toilet seats.

[–] tonytins@pawb.social 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The Onion sure has their work cut out for them.

[–] SinningStromgald@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

At this point they would have to write him making sensible health policy decisions and that wouldn't be funny.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

They've already written reasonable amicus briefs, what further cruelty can we inflict upon them?

[–] Eh_I@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

Where is this moron factory that's working so much overtime?

[–] Headofthebored@lemmy.world 1 points 19 hours ago

The man deliberately swam in sewage. Also, literally had a worm in his brain. Other than pedophiles, these are the people Trump hangs out with.

[–] SnarkoPolo@lemmy.world 2 points 22 hours ago

Again, according to plan. Get the population to believe in magic rather than trusting medicine. Soon, corporate employers won't have to offer health care, and aging Millennials won't say shit when there's no Medicare.

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

The Merdes Touch.

This could have easily been predicted, because everything Pedonald touches turns to shit. Why this country ever let this shitty rapey con artist get his grubby tiny paws on it is beyond me, but here we are.

[–] paper_moon@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

sHE had A fUNnY LaUgH!!!!!!

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

So true.

I'm so glad so many of my fellow Americans base their votes on stupid vibes like how a woman laughs.

[–] BetaBlake@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

You mean to tell me the heroin addict, with brain worms who hates vaccines has plummeted trust?

Who could have seen it coming

[–] Triumph@fedia.io 4 points 1 day ago

Hard to know whether I "have faith in" American healthcare when I can't even afford it.

[–] devolution@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I'll take my advice from someone who snorts coke off of a toilet after a hooker took a shit any day. 🙃

[–] Widdershins@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

He's from a famous family he could snort coke off a toilet seat while a hooker takes a shit.

[–] voxthefox@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 day ago

Faith and trust are two different things

[–] doug@lemmy.today 1 points 1 day ago

I’ve been rewatching Futurama for background noise while cooking and RFK absolutely feels 1:1 like he’s got a brain slug with the advice he’s been dispensing.